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I’m a very logical guy, so I still fondly
remember when new solutions and technologies started trends on
the basis of their logical strengths. In today’s world, it seems
that emotion, not logic, sparks the new trends that become
culture, and drives our devotion or disappointment in new
products and brands. How does an entrepreneur best deal with that
environment?

I just saw some real insights in a new book by Jeremy D. Holden,
“Second That Emotion: How
Decisions, Trends, and Movements Are Shaped.” He is a
branding and research strategist who outlines how social
contracts cause culture shifts, illustrates how they are created
by emotion, and clarifies ways that they can make or break a new
product, as well as a career.

Jeremy applies his culture shift tenants to political and generic
social issues, but I have adapted them here more specifically to
the business realm of entrepreneurs and startups:

Establish a social contract. Today consumers
reveal themselves online, with pictures, opinions, ratings
and reviews, interests and locations, and expect businesses
to adapt to them, and honor the implied relationship
contract. Businesses which ignore this contract are excluded
from consideration, despite maybe having a logically better
product or price.

Enlist disciples and a congregation. Social
relationships are built around zealots and their disciples
who ultimately engage a wider congregation and perpetrate the
culture shift. Emotion, rather than logic, drives disciples.
“Viral marketing” and “word-of-mouth” are tools of disciples
in business today. Don’t underestimate their value and
potential.

Create and leverage a chief disciple. Every
startup needs a visible chief disciple today. The days of a
new website and product with no personalization are gone. By
default, the Founder is the chief disciple who displays the
qualities to build the required social contracts. People
today need a zealot, like Steve Jobs, to drive the desired
culture shift.

Embrace illogical leaps. Culture shifts are
usually illogical leaps. You can use projective techniques to
unlock the unconscious or hidden motivations that are shaping
people’s belief systems, leading to these leaps. Build a
connection to your product, and leverage the momentum into
more social contracts and bigger congregations.

Use social media to generate emotion. Social
media is central to the creation of a social contract because
it serves as an emotional beacon, and helps to fuel the
invention of illogical leaps. Of course, its primary role is
still to allow people to connect, organize, and engage, as
well as provide startups with rich insights they might
otherwise miss.

Deliver emotional certainty. No matter how
illogical it may appear, we strive for certainty in all of
our choices and affiliations. Social contracts give customers
the feeling of self-affirmation that they are smart and
knowledgeable enough to make informed selections. Inevitably,
they feel more connected to the companies that give them this
peace of mind.

Protect your principal symbols. Whatever
tangible form your brand or message takes, it becomes the
encapsulating beacon for a culture shift as well as an
emotional conduit for a shift’s goals and beliefs. If the
symbol changes, brands may see an erosion of their social
contract, and it can feel as you’ve interfered with something
deeply personal in their lives.

Avoid a breach. There is no such thing as
reward without risk, and the emotional nature of people’s
commitment to a culture shift means that any misstep,
betrayal, or overt contradiction can be fatal. Disciples and
ultimately the congregation decide if you have broken the
social contract for the culture shift, so you had better
understand their terms.

Ride your luck. When circumstances conspire
to give your efforts unexpected momentum, it’s essential to
be able to respond quickly and ride your luck, rather than
remain strictly wedded to a plan or a strategy that hadn’t
accounted for the new dynamic.

Timing is everything. Luck and timing are
inevitably less certain than product build schedules or
marketing programs. Be prepared to capitalize on the emotion
of competitor missteps, changes in the economy, and other
world events to drive new social contracts, new disciples,
and broaden your congregation. Culture shifts are usually not
planned.

Not all businesses or startups are dependent on a culture shift
to be successful. But culture shifts have created most of the
great recent companies, such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and
Facebook. As much as it pains the logical me to admit it, if you
want your startup to be the next one, it’s time to adapt to the
“age of illogic.”